AngelsDevilsHeroes
by Amaterasu-Flame
Summary: An Earthbender Slave girl and A certain Freedom Fighter make an unusual pair...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. Trust me.**

DARKNESS CREPT UP ON ME … as usual…

--

Every day is monotonous and bleak. I wake up somnolent and go to sleep on a clammy, bitter floor exhausted. Every waking moment is drawn excruciatingly slow until the dusk I can see any release. Even my dreams are laced with toil. Constant laboring is my life. The sun is cruel and searing on my scarred back and the darkness of the night clouds my vision, making it difficult to work. I find it difficult to remember a time when I used to enjoy the night and all its mystery. I could barely evoke when the cool night air sent thrills instead of shudders down my back, or the heartening warmth of the sun on my pale skin.

No, I do not completely remember these times; they were so long ago. I still find it hard to envision the small Earth Kingdom village I spent such a small part of my young life in. I could only see blurs of images, sensations, and sounds. The people, their faces blurred their names unknown to me, and my family, even worse, forgotten. All of these places, faces, and things are left behind and only oddments of the emotions remain deep inside of me. Only when I am alone, I like to take them out and try to remember, but when the sun rises and it is time to work again, I tuck my memories away and harden myself.

The one memory that never goes away is the worse. The day I was taken from my home.

It is all a blur – much like everything else – of flames and shouting and tears. Yes, flames; fire was my enemy… The screams must have been my parents. The fire, the soldier, had seized my small frame and took me away. Tears clouded my vision, making my parents' horrified faces and later limp bodies blurry and distorted…

--

I was eight years old.

--

Ever since for nine more years, I have been taken here, on this miserable, metallic black hell the Fire soldiers like to call a ship.

--

My name is Lin…and I am a slave for the Fire Nation.

--

**(AN: Well, that was short. I suppose I have this thing for prologues. I just feel its necessary. Don't worry. this isn't one of those OC/OC fics. our Freedom Fighter will turn up soon.)**


	2. Chapter 1:Bondage

**(A/N: Sorry for the wait. Here is the actual first chapter of Lin's poor life. I do not own Avatar. Lin is mine, however.****)**

Chapter 1: Bondage

I WAS AWAKE but I did not open my eyes. I lay there in my tiny cot, awaiting the morning gong that told all of the slaves to rise and work. Then, the crimson clad guards would bellow at us if we did not obey the daily sounding of our labor. They seem to enjoy our suffering, waiting for us to slip up or trip just to have the chance to flog us with their fire whips. So goes the grand hospitality of the Fire Nation, not that I actually expect slave guards to be the type of individuals to be merry and cordial.

I rise reluctantly and sit up in my tiny cot and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Today, I remember with an internal groan, was the day we had to move crates from the storage compartments. Its location is in a very dark, low part of the vessel that only younger slaves can go. But a lot of the slaves are older, so the guards straggle as many youths as possible to gather us down there. No one wants to go down there. The heavy machinery makes it dangerous, and the steam makes it hard to see. We have even lost a few down there.

The guards shout into my compartment that I share with six other people; an old couple and a woman with her three young children. The room was originally only made for two, so you can imagine the strain of the small family. Children and the elderly work mainly on the deck, for the Captain's fear of losing extra, weaker workers on the job. Not because they care, but because they _hate_ it when something goes on that they do not know about.

The guards light our room with fire bending. They awaken slowly, but for some reason I feel the need to hasten today. Something has me on edge. I carefully step out of bed, trying not to step on Cho's children. When I first met Cho, she was pregnant with twins and very unhealthy. One of the workers was a nurse before her enslavement, so she took care of Cho until the birth and was healthy enough to work, not without permission from the Captain of course.

Nothing went on without Captain Long's consent. Nothing.

Everyone knew the real reason Captain Long went along with Cho's nursing. More workers. As I said before, the geniality of the Fire Nation is well appreciated. But I was glad because it meant no one would be hurt or thrown off the ship.

I creep out of bed and find the washcloth we all share in the corner of the room and wash my face as much as possible, glance in the mirror and slip on my shoes. A glance in the cracked bowl-sized mirror tells me I look tired: tired being an understatement of massive proportions.

I linger at my reflection. My skin is light from working under the decks, my pale green eyes dry and puffy from uncomfortable sleep, and my waist length dark hair in disarray around me. I try to assemble it somehow, in hopes that it will stay out of my face. I settle it into a tie at the base of my neck and dust of the brown smock all the slaves and I wear at all times.

I finally creep gingerly out of the fire lit room and start down the dark corridors. Along the way crimson clad guards watch at every door. Captain Long's orders. He has guards watch us _very _closely ever since he heard one of the slave ships was infiltrated by the avatar who freed the entire ship. Rumor has it he is a mere boy; an airbender.

As I pass through the endless passage, I make absolutely _no_ eye contact but look to the ground at my feet as the guards watch me closer than necessary. I extremely dislike these unwarranted gazes from some of the guards, so far from home where their wives sit fat and bejeweled, while I am so close and so young and _weak_… I do not allow myself to think that way; if I did, I'd lose the little strength I have left. I suddenly shudder without any cold.

I turn many corners and silently make my way to the ladder that leads the way to the storage chamber. There is, in reality, a whole series of ladders that lead to the storage room, near the bottom floors of the ship. It is so large; I sometimes forget we're on the ocean. We have all gotten used to the subtle swaying of the vessel over time. I hardly see the sun or the deck any more, so the entire ship seems to glide by like a moving eternal dark cavern none of us can escape from. I've forgotten what those things feel like.

I finish climbing down the ladders and the other youths and I begin to carefully lift the heavy crates of metal one at a time. They are the size of great boulders, and twice the weight so it takes two or three of us at time to lift them out of the room and maneuver them though a large lift. The lift is operated by ropes and a series of pulleys which have to be pulled manually. Once we pack all of the crates and they are lifted to the higher floors where a second group of slaves take the crates to another lift which is brought to the deck for repair.

The work is made more difficult by the fact that there are very few on the ship in my age group. There are probably ten of us on the whole ship. The rest are much older. There is hardly any talking while all this work is done, and Long has guards watching us the entire time.

It takes me and three young men to pull the ropes of the pulley along, slowly. Do it too fast and the ropes may break. I don't know if I have as much strength as the men, but after years of hard labor, I can certainly hold my own.

We strain hard, inhale as we pull the next load.

Then it happened.

I lost my balance.

As we stood on the upper level of the lift, pulling the rope, I lost my footing, my bare feet slipping against the cold metal. I watched in horror as the delicate bindings of the rope rip apart.

The rope breaks and the entire lift is thrown off. The crates slide precariously off as the metal lift slants forward into the floor below. All of this happens as I fumble to the ground with a loud thud.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I hear the crates crash into the ground below and the cries of the people around and underneath me. Not much time later footsteps gather around me.

"What's going on here?" A guard barks curtly at the crowd around me. He wastes no time waiting for an answer and pushes past them to glower down at me.

I try my best to scramble upward. No showing weakness to them. But I'm not fast enough.

I cry out as the Fire guard seizes me up by my hair and jerks me up to a standing position.

"Sir!" stirs one of the slaves, "She j-just lost her balance!"

"SILENCE!" the guard bellows. The slaves cower away. They're too afraid, too submissive to stand up for me any further. It's not necessarily cowardice; it's survival. The way we've been conditioned.

The soldier grasps the back of my head and jerks me forward.

"Do you know the penalty for your carelessness?" he sneered. He roughly pushes my head, forcing me on my knees. I unwillingly let out a whimper.

"DO YOU?" He continues pulling me like a rag doll. No, a rag doll is treated with more sympathy. "Do you know how much those supplies will COST US?"

He finally throws me down, while two other guards snicker at me. The guard who handled me yells to the others to fix the mess. The other two soldiers grasp me up by my arms. I know where this is heading…

The three men take me through the dark hallways, up the endless stairways, and finally, to the deck.

The harsh sunlight blinds me temporarily. I have not seen daylight in some time.

The guards throw me into a wooden panel that stands right before the Captain's compartment.

The other slaves out there only stare on helplessly, and quickly go back to their orders, for fear of punishment for slacking off.

I have only been lashed once before. When I was a child.

I was ten years old and new to the "work system" of the ship. I had never even seen the sea before. I was carrying a water bucket to the Captain Long's bed chambers, and slipped right before his door. The water spilled across the floor. _Carelessness_, again. The doors swiveled open, the lamplight spilling on to the dark metal floor. There was Captain Long, a fuming firebender with no remorse. Just behind him was a young slave girl, struggling to cover herself with silk sheets. Of course, I was too young to understand why she was there…

It was the most excruciating experience of my life. One of the most. I still have the scars. Of course, I've seen many slaves with burn marks across their faces or bodies from carelessness…

--

The guards bound me by my wrists against two metal columns. Panting, I try feebly to escape, but it's just like the last time. The one soldier who grabbed me steps behind me.

"You're the only one to blame, precious." He smirked over me. All I can hear is the blood pulsing through my veins. Sweat clinging to my skin.

He grasps my shoulders so he can rip the material from my skin. The smock tears, exposing my back and shoulders. His hands linger on my shoulders for too long. _Fire scum_.

I don't even have to look up to know the Captain is watching. Leering sadistically would be a better way of putting it. I don't dare look up.

--

I can feel the heat before it even reaches my skin.

"AAAAAAAH!!"

Getting lashed by fire is unlike any other sentence. The leather, while it draws blood, does not last inside of you the way fire does.

And that's only the first blow.

The flames roar as they sear my skin, tearing the flesh of my marred back further.

My screams go unheard. No one can help me.

I am lashed again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

--

Nothing.

I had tried so hard not to cry, but my tears betray me. Whimpering, I wonder if I had either died or the fire had actually burned me into numbness.

I dared to look up. Captain Long stands before me, his hand held up ordering the men to stop.

Panting, I look around confused. Captain Long approaches me, and I hope with all of my willpower left that I can somehow shrink into nonexistence.

No avail.

Captain Long grasps my chin, forcing me into his gaze. Captain Long has leering tawny eyes, a narrow face and a nose that is reminiscent of a fox, with a graying beard. He is more than twice my age and has an unfortunate weakness for young women, as I have heard. Rumor has it back in the Fire Nation, he "lets loose his fist" on his wife once in a while as well…

He leers down at me, his expression changes from smug to mild surprise.

"I know those eyes," he murmurs admiring my very pale jade colored eyes. He recognizes me. I'm dead.

His thumb grazes my chin of my tear stained face. I glare away from him, repulsed. He gives a sadistic chortle and releases my face. Turning to his guards, he snaps his fingers and my bounds are cut, and I collapse to the ground with a grunt.

Captain Long turns to leave to his quarters, but he turns over his shoulders and murmurs something to one of the guards, who looks at me and smirks vulgarly.

When the Captain leaves, everyone behaves as if they never saw a thing. Then I am seized again. I struggle to cover myself, and I hiss as I feel blood running down my back.

"Not yet, precious," the man on my left purrs, "The Captain would like a word with you…"

**(A/N: Oh, no. Looks like Lin is in for it. Please Review. Let me know anything. Jet in next Chapter For sure!!)**


	3. Chapter 2: Heroes?

**A/N: Took a while for me to update. Hopefully, you don't get confused. A lot happens in this chapter.Warning, some mild mature content. R&R PLZ!!**

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Chapter 2: Heroes?

A scream tore from my lips when the men stripped me down and threw me into the bath chambers. I struggled against them when they held me down and hosed my bare body. The pressure of the water felt as though it could cut my skin, it was so severe. When the harsh water hit my still fresh scars, I was blinded with pain. They had to do all they could to hold me down as I squirmed and cried. I had never felt so exposed in my life.

It was about to get worse.

I was cleaned, dried, a long robe thrown on. They took me down the halls toward a familiar corridor in particular. My heart clenched in my chest. I was being escorted to Captain Long's quarters…

I was thrown into an immense and extravagant room, adorned in red and gold details. There was a large dining table, a window overlooking the wide sea, and over in another far corner was an enormous lavish bed. Obviously, I had never seen such things in my lifetime so it took me a while to take it all in…

WHOOSH! A crimson blur was thrusted in my face.

"The captain requires your company tonight," the Fire soldier sneered, "And he suggests you wear this."

The clothing in my arms is a silk red kimono with luxurious gold detail of dragons running along the sleeves. It is the most valuable thing I have ever touched, and I couldn't be more repulsed by it. The soldier senses my hesitation.

"If you do not like it," he leers at me lasciviously, "You can wear _nothing_…"

I somehow have the audacity to glare at the man at the door, and he only chuckles before slamming the door shut. I let out a shuddering breath. No where to escape, even if I leave the room, I will still be on this ship, I will still be found…

There is no hope. More tears stain my face.

--

The robe fits rather loosely on my frame. I stand at a mirror and stare at my reflection. My body has hardened from years of work, but is not well fed. Our rations are cut more and more these days. The deep crimson color contrasts with my severe white skin, and I have to tie the golden ribbons twice to fit around my waist. My hair. It lays waist length at my sides. If only I could somehow shield him from it. From touching it, smelling it. The thought makes me shudder in disgust.

SLAM!!

I nearly jump as I whirled around to see who opened the door.

Captain Long stands before me. His eyes wandered over my body immodestly. He says nothing as he saunters toward me from the closed door to an arms length away from me.

"You look so beautiful in that kimono," he speaks up, not looking up from my body. Something grips my chest from the insides, making my breathing hitch.

When he proceeds closer to me, I actually respond by backing away. I gasp as He suddenly grasps my wrist.

"Wait" –

He slowly guides me against the painted wall. _Pant. Pant. Pant. Pant. _I could hear my heart beat. His eyes bore into mine as he stares lecherously.

"So very beautiful…" His grip on my wrist tightens painfully. _Ah._ Then roughly he tugs the sleeve of my kimono, exposing my shoulder.

"_Please_."

"Please?" he purrs, "You don't even know how lucky you are."

"No!" He rips the other sleeve down. Can I do nothing to stop him? Am I truly powerless?

I cringe as he tries to bring his lips to my shoulder. _No no no no stop no stop no no no no. _

_STOP!_

I struggle to push his face off of me. With success I manage to strike him across the face.

Bad move.

Long is just as taken aback by my hit as I am. To my horror, and rather predictably, his face turns fatally livid. I hardly have time to register his expression before pain burns the side of _my _face. Long's blow left a numbness in my face.

"Good," He leers, rubbing his cheek, "I usually enjoy a little spirit in a woman." He shoves me violently against the wall by gripping my shoulders. "It means I get to be the one to _break it_…"

"No..." His grip on my shoulders is agonizing. Then I squirm as he presses me against the wall with unwelcome heat. His mouth sucked at my shoulders. I had to escape. There had to be something else. I would rather take ten lashes than have to endure one second alone with Captain Long.

"Stop…" My eyes water against my will as I squirm my way around so that I face the wall. He only tugs harder on my sleeves, pulling the delicate fabric from my breast. His hands roam there, gripping hastily. His mouth never leaves my shoulder as he begins to slide against me form behind. _Stop, no no no stop no no stop…_

I am revolted by the sound of his groan as his hands continue to ravish me. Tears cascade my face as I desperately try to disappear. Why can't I move? What difference would it make?

I cannot let the night end like this!

"None of that now," he breathes in my ear, "Such a good, good slave."

His hand slams my wrist against the wall, restraining me while the other wanders down my body. I shudder as he mistakes it for desire. The hand slides down beneath the kimono, rests on my thigh. I gasp and struggle. _NO!_

The hand slips slowly up my inner thigh. _NO STOP IT!_

Closer.

Closer.

The motion alone is more excruciating than being lashed.

Closer.

_STOP IT!_

Something inside of me screams, dies as I slam my restricted hand against the metal wall as hard as I can. The metal dents. He gasps.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!"

SLAM!!

"CAPTAIN LONG!!" a Fire soldier bursts into the room, his expression wild. Long, already flustered, whips around to face him. Now released, I look over my shoulder at the panicked guard.

"Captain!" the man struggles to convey himself, "It's – The slaves! They" –

"OUT WITH IT!" Long snaps.

"_There are intruders on the ship, Captain!" _

-

-

-

-

_There are intruders on the ship!_ Intruders? Can this mean war? Water tribe ships? My mind scrambles around the possibilities of what is happening. Long is beyond vengeful, his face contorts into an ugly scowl as he tears himself from me and dons his helmet and armor.

"Sound the gong, you fool!" Long orders.

"Y – Yes sir!" the man says turning to rush off, but is suddenly thrown. The entire ship lurches forward, the three of us stumbled forward in shock. Long orders the man again and takes his spear.

At the door he turns toward me.

"You will not leave this room" he muttered slamming the door.

I fall to my knees the moment the door closes. I felt myself convulse, leaning against the wall and I realize I am sobbing. I waited for it to stop, and finally it subsided.

We're being invaded?

I have to know what is happening. Slowly, I scramble upward on trembling legs. I find a white robe and put it on. It fits better than the red kimono. I wish I could burn the thing, but there's no time for that.

Long couldn't have locked the door, he was in such a hurry. I slide open the door with little effort. What I see on the other side is panic. The ship shudders again and I stagger forward onto the railing of the corridors. Slaves and soldiers sprint in all directions in utter terror. The Fire Soldiers make some efforts to sustain order, but it is all in vain. The ship is under attack.

Strangely, I notice the slaves are making their way toward the deck, and the guards seem to be trying to stop them from proceeding. The deck. Whatever is going on is happening on the ship's deck.

I hurry toward the crowds of slaves dashing toward the deck. What is going on? My mind races, my body aches and my heart tremors. I search the crowd searching for some sign. Why would the slaves run _toward_ the problem? Was it pirates? Bandits?

"LIN!" a voice behind me. A hand on my shoulder. A flicker of horror shudders its way through my body as I turn around, ready to defend myself with my newfound boldness.

Cho, my roommate, stands before me, one child on her hip. The eldest, a little boy, is at her side carrying the other twin. The twins aren't old enough to run very fast.

"Cho," I shout her name, so relieved to see her kind, round face, a face I welcomed. "Where are Ritsu and Hana?"

"They're up on the decks!" Cho said of the older couple we roomed with. _No. _They were directly in danger.

"Wait here!" I told her. "I don't know if it's safe out there." The slaves and soldiers continue to rush past us.

"Lin!" Cho tells me, "_Everyone_ is out there!"

"I will be careful!"

"No", Cho says, "You don't understand" –

She is cut off when flame flares between us. Fortunately, none of us are hurt, but it causes more alarm among the disorientated crowd. A guard pushes past us forcibly.

"Let us through! Go back to your chambers!" He bellows as he and two others rush up to the deck. No one listens to him, though, the situation is too strained. I wonder what could have caused all of this chaos. I turn to Cho.

"I'm going out there!" I leave her with those words.

The warning gong has been sounded. It vibrates through us like a mighty storm, breaking through and surrounding us. Light sears my eyes once again. I had bustled through numberless slaves and fewer guards to reach the deck. I had used force to get through. I do not know where this profound new boldness comes from; maybe it was inside of me all along…

The deck was in worse condition than the ship's bridge. Flames burned all around, the guards resorting to their bending to stop the slaves. There were more of us than of them. The slaves were dashing in all different directions, the fires lighting up the night sky. I had only seen such a horrific scene when I was taken from my home. The memory jars me, and I am alarmed at how much it pains me. This _can't _be happening again. I have to hold my head in my hands to grasp my sanity back.

But I wasn't alert enough.

"GET BACK TO THE BRIDGE, SLAVE!" was the only warning I had before being knocked to the ground. I hit the floor of the deck hard on my hands and knees. A guard has a spear aimed right for my chest, when I turn to face him. He recognizes me.

"Hn, You're Captain Long's pet, aren't you?" He chuckled. "How about I just take you for myself, then?"

He chuckles maliciously again before, out of nowhere, great force rams him across the floor. I blinked. Another man kicked him_….Who_ –

--

"URAGH!!" the guard moves to get up swiftly to face his quick opponent. "Who the hell are you?"

The stranger who kicked the guard stands protectively over me, and draws two hooked swords.

"Doesn't matter," a young man's voice utters, "You'll be dead anyway." He shrugs nonchalantly. This angers the guard further and he charges. The stranger dodges the spear easily, and uses his hooked sword to jerk the spear right out of his hands. Another whirling kick connected hard with the guard's head, knocking the helmet off his head.

Two other guards surrounded him and he flew into the air, knocking them down and slicing through them with hooked blades. He knocked them down with such ease, with recklessness about him. He steps on one of the fallen guards and leans to him.

"Thieves," the guard coughs, "Bandits! What are you here for?"

"_We_," the stranger said, "are fighters. Freedom Fighters."

The stranger jabs the guard fatally with his blade. I gasp. _Freedom?_

I see other people fighting the guards as well, now that I look around me, still sprawled on the floor. There were some 'Freedom Fighters' harboring the life boats for the slaves. _Was this really happening?_

"You all right?"

I looked up, blinking rapidly. The man who just saved my life stands before me. He is more of a boy than a man, really, no older than I am. He is dressed like a warrior and his wild brown hair hangs around his face in a roguish manner. He has the darkest eyes I've ever seen… I stare in shock. Were these invaders here to save us?

Before I can respond, strong arms pull me to my feet.

"Are you hurt?" The Freedom Fighter asks me slowly. I can't react, for some reason. I am too distracted by the arms around me. Arms that just ended those guards' lives…

Fear grips me like a vice against my will.

"Listen to me carefully," He says slowly, "My name is Jet. And I am here to set you free."

--

**A/N: Tada! Jet! I told you he'd be here. Hey, I was originally going to end the chapter at 'we're being invaded'...So keep on reading. Please REVIEW! I want to do this right! JUST SO YOU KNOW: if you weren't Sure, This story takes place after the episode "Jet" and Before the FF go to Ba Sing Se...**


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